TWENTY-ONE

Terrence arrived back at the New Kent County Sherriff’s Department shortly after four-thirty. He’d rested, but the plans for the evening wouldn’t let him sleep. His mind continually spun with all the possibilities. Getting Julie Montgomery out of the grasp of Todd Adams safely was their highest priority and greatest challenge. He couldn’t see Adams giving up easily after so much planning. He would see Julie as his property and the officers as interfering with his business.

Catching Amory’s eye, Terrence nodded. He strode by Simpson’s office, pausing in the doorway.

The serious brown eyes crowned with bushy, black eyebrows looked up from the paperwork on the cluttered desk. “You’re early.”

He shrugged his shoulders, hiding the adrenaline already coursing through his veins. “I rested. I ate. I’m back. Clark and Heath get off OK with Watts?”

Simpson stroked his goatee. “Yep. Right at four. I suspect it’ll be close to five before we hear from them.”

Terrence cocked his head to the right. “I’ll be in the conference room.”

Simpson broke the mutual stare and returned to the files awaiting his attention. “We’ll be down when I get the call.”

Grateful no one else showed up early, he closed the door on the cold, stark room. He could have made the calls at home, or even in the car, but he’d put them off. Debating with himself, he’d finally concluded it was best to make the call. He didn’t put much stock in prayer for himself, but his mother insisted it made a difference. If nothing else, it would make a difference to Julie Montgomery’s family. Besides, he didn’t want them caught completely unaware if anything went wrong tonight. Preparing for the possibility of bad news would be better than getting hit with it cold.

He debated who to call first and settled on his mom. She was the most detached from the situation. He dialed her number.

“Hello?” His mother always answered the phone like she didn’t know who it was, even though she had caller I.D. The familiarity made him smile.

“Hi, Ma.”

“Terrence Cooper, it’s about time you checked in. I thought I’d have to file a missing report on you, too.”

Sure she did. He’d gone three days without calling before. And he’d gotten the same guilt trip. “I’ve been busy, Ma. But we’ve found a strong lead in the case.”

“You have? You’ve found Julie?”

If his mom had this much hope in her voice at hearing of the lead, he shuddered to think of how Ms. Fran and Luke would react. “We haven’t found her, exactly. We’re pretty sure we know where she is and who she’s with, though. The plan is to go in and get her tonight.”

“That’s great. Fran will be so relieved.”

“We still have to get her out safely.”

“Terrence, I know you can do it.”

He leaned back and propped his feet on the table. “Ma, it’s not that simple. We have a whole team going in. Me, a few other guys, a negotiator…and a sniper.”

“A sniper?”

“The situation isn’t good. We don’t want it to get worse, but we have to be prepared for anything.”

“I’ll be praying.”

He grinned. “I thought you might. And, Ma?”

“Yes, hon?”

“If you talk to Ms. Fran, don’t mention the sniper. She doesn’t need to worry needlessly.” Or worry with good reason.

“So it’s just your mother that needs to worry?”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re used to being a cop’s mom. Fran has enough to worry about with Julie missing. She doesn’t need more to fret over.”

“OK.”

“So, you’re going to call her?”

“I am.” Her voice held determination.

“Then I’ll call Mr. Montgomery.” The husband would be emotional enough. Let his mom deal with Julie’s mother.

After promising her he’d call immediately after they’d rescued Julie, he hung up and dialed Luke Montgomery’s number. He kicked his legs down, stood, and paced as the phone rang. He needed the right words.

“Hello?” Luke’s anxious voice answered.

“Mr. Montgomery, it’s Officer Cooper.”

“Yes? Have you found Julie?”

Terrence glanced at the clock. Four-forty. “We have a lead. We’re confident we know where she is.”

A sigh of relief filtered over the line. “Finally. She’s OK?”

This man so much wanted his wife back. His life back. “We haven’t made contact yet. But I wanted you to know we’re trying to have her home before the night’s over.”

“But she’s OK?”

Terrence stopped pacing. He shouldn’t have called. “Mr. Montgomery, we have information pointing to where she is and who has her. We’ll be going in tonight to get her out.”

His words met silence. The clock ticked. Terrence nodded at Patterson as he came in and closed the door behind himself.

“Mr. Montgomery?”

“Um, yes, I’m here. You said you know where she is. Where is she?”

“I can’t give you that detail right now. I promise to keep you updated. Most likely, it’ll be several more hours before this is resolved, but know it’s almost over.” At least, Terrence’s part in the Montgomery’s lives was almost over. Depending on how the next few hours went would determine the effect it had on their lives.

“OK. Thanks for calling. We know what to pray for now.”

He hung up and the door opened again, revealing Mattern and Amory. Everyone was there except Simpson. Was he stalling or still waiting for the call from Heath?

“You ready?” Amory, the former football player, stood a few inches shorter than Terrence but had him beat in girth by more than a few inches. He had his game face on. The plan had been set, and he’d prepared.

Terrence nodded at his old comrade. He needed the veteran’s steady calm. “I’ve been ready for this for days.”

Simpson strode through the door with the rolled-up layout of the property the group had examined earlier.

“Heath, Clark, and Watts are in place. They’re on a hill hidden in the woods behind the cabin.” He unrolled the layout. “About here from what I can gather. They circled as much of the property as possible. Adams’ vehicle is parked on the east side of the house. They’re on the south side. They’ve seen some movement, but the windows are small. Adams is the only one they’ve identified. No sign of Julie yet.”

Terrence leaned in. “The only direct way in is the gravel drive.”

Simpson nodded.

“He’ll hear us coming,” Terrence voiced the obvious.

“But we already have the others in place.” Simpson looked around the room. “We’re all experienced here. Mattern, what do you think?”

Mattern rubbed his bald head. “He’ll hear us coming and be angry, but it’ll give us time to gage his reactions. With no way to see the girl at this point, we have no other option than to try to flush him out.”

Terrence steepled his hands. “How will we communicate with him?”

“Bullhorn is the only way at first. We’ll offer a radio.”

“Guess that’s all we’ve got,” Terrence responded.

Mattern studied the map. “He picked a prime spot. I’ll give him that.” He turned his blue eyes toward Terrence. “I haven’t lost a victim in ten years. I don’t plan on today being the first.”

His words were reassuring, but he also noticed what Mattern didn’t say. He hadn’t lost a victim, but how many negotiations had gone south causing the loss of the perpetrator? Terrence had no sympathy for Adams, but he believed in the justice of the courts.

Terrence pushed back from the table. If things got ugly, there was nothing they could do about it. Adams would choose his own fate.

“All right. Mattern, Patterson, you ride with me. Simpson, we’ll follow you and Amory since you know the land better. What frequency are the others on?”

“Eighteen,” Simpson answered.

Terrence nodded. “OK. Let’s go.”

The officers double checked their gear, Simpson rolled up the map, and they headed out.